Light-controlling window structure



July 11, 1961 N. A. VETERE LIGHT-CONTROLLING wmnow STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 10, 1956 INVENTOR. Nicholas Avefere MWYK W ATTORNEYS July 11, 1961 N. A. VETERE 2,991,597

LIGHT-CONTROLLING WINDOW STRUCTURE Filed April 10, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIVVENTOR. Nicholas A. Verere ATTORNEY FIG.8

United States Patent 2,991,697 LIGHT-CONTROLLING WINDOW STRUCTURE Nicholas A. Vetere, Pompton Plains, NJ assignor to Arrow Metal Products Corp. Inc., Haskell, NJ a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 10, 1956, Ser. No. 577,264 1 Claim. (Cl. 88-60) This invention relates to window constructions and specifically to devices for use in conjunction with multilouvered windows known as jalousies for the regullating of light and air.

Presently known jalousie window constructions consist of a series of elongated strips of glass which are pivotally mounted at each end and capable of being rotated about said pivot points. When windows of this type are closed the plates of glass overlap and are therefore subject to leakage of air during cold weather. It is customary, in order to overcome this difiiculty, to use spaced jalousie constructions in the same window so as to provide a dead air space therebetween.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to use the spaced jalousie construction for the purpose of controlling the amount of sunlight passing through the window as well as regulating the amount of air entering the room.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a jalousie structure which will admit daylight but-screen out the harmful rays of the sun.

A further object of the present invention is to enable the user thereof to control the amount of sunlight passing through the window structure without resort to shades, awnings or the like.

A feature of the present invention is its use of lightfiltering material in the window construction.

Another feature of the present invention is its use of opposed light filters pivotally mounted so as to vary the relative positions of said light filters. 1

The invention consists of the construction, combina tion and arrangement of parts, as herein illustrated, described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, are illustrated three forms of embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical cross-section through a portion of the window, made in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, showing the window in one stage of adjustment.

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURES 1 and 2, showing the window in a second stage of adjustment.

FIGURE 4 shows a vertical section through a window made in accordance with the present invention in the third stage of adjustment.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view somewhat enlarged of a light-filtering louver structure made in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 6 is a vertical cross-section through a portion of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 7 is a view in front elevation of the embodiment shown in FIGURE 6, with only two of the lightfiltering strips shown for the sake of clarity.

FIGURE 8 is a vertical cross-section through a portion of a window made in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 9 illustrates the embodiment shown in FIG- URE 8, in the light-blocking position.

Referring to the drawings, and specifically to FIGURE 1, 5 indicates a jalousie window structure consisting of a plurality of elongated glass sheets 10 overlapped at their adjoining edges, as indicated at 12, and pivotally mounted at the upper edges thereof by brackets (not shown) in the well known manner.

A second jalousie structure 11 is mounted in the window frame 22 behind the first structure, and disposed so that its glass plates will swing inwardly of the building as opposed to the first jalousie structure 10, whose plates will swing outwardly. The jalousie structure 13 may be controlled by handles diagrammatically shown at 17a, 18a.

A screen member 13 may be supported between the jalousie structure 10-11, as indicated in the drawings. Each jalousie structure 10-11 is formed of a series of elongated sheets of some suitable light-filtering material. The properties of the light-filtering materal must be such that when placed one upon the other the material will substantially cut off the passage of incident light therethrough. Suitable light filtering material of this type may comprise presently known light-polarizing sheets, such as are shown in United States Patents Nos. 2,104,949 and 2,199,227, issued to Alvin M. Marks; and Nos. 2,237,567, 2,328,219, and 2,454,515, issued to Edwin H. Land.

' Another form of light-filtering material, which may be used for the purposes of the present invention, is set forth in United States Patent No. 2,543,793, issued to Alvin M. Marks, and there referred to as a multichrome filter. These filters have the properties of individually absorbing certain transmission bands and collectively absorbing all of the light impinging thereon.

For the purposes of the following disclosure, the lightfiltering materials illustrated have been given positive or negative designations to indicate that plates bearing the same designation are of like construction, and that plates bearing opposite designations will, when placed one upon the other, substantially absorb or extinguish all of the light incident thereon, so as to prevent it from traversing the structure. Where light-polarizing material is used, the angles of polarization may be placed at 90 to one another in the appropriate sheets within the window structure to achieve the desired result. Where multichrome filters are used there is no requirement of angularity, since the second filtering material is of a nature which will absorb all of the light which passes throughrthe first filter.

Referring to FIGURE 1, it will be seen that each of the opposed windows is formed of sheets of light-filtering material bearing alternate designations. In the closed position illustrated in FIGURE 1, opposed light-filtering sheets bear the same sign and are of the same optical characteristics. Accordingly, in the closed position shown in FIGURE 1, light can pass freely through the jalousie structure.

When it is desired to control the light impinging upon the window, the light-filtering material, which forms the light transmitting body of the window, may be swung through an arc, indicated by the dashed lines in FIGURE 1, to any of the positions shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4. With the light-filtering material disposed in accordance with FIGURE 2, the interior of the building will receive the maximum amount of ventilation, while at the same time overhead sun will be partially filtered out, as indicated by the arrows and dashed lines. Thus, wherever sunlight passes through a light filter indicated by the sign plus and thereafter impinges upon a second filter indicated by the sign minus the said light will become absorbed.

A further rotation of the louvers 10 in the manner shown in FIGURE 3, will provide approximately of ventilation, with about 70% of light blocked. By completely rotating the interior louver 10, while allowing the outer louvers to remain substantially closed, as shown in FIGURE 4, almost complete extinction of the light can be achieved with approximately 20% ventilation. It

is to be understood that various adjustments intermediate the ones illustrated are possible, depending upon the requirements of the user.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURES 6"and 7., [it will be seen that the outer jalousie structure is similar in construction to that illustrated inFIGURE l. The inner series of light-filtering strips 17, however, are pivoted at their horizontal axes, as indicated at 18. In this embodiment of the invention thev light-filtering material comprises strips of light-polarizing media having its axis of polarization disposed at 45 with respect to the horizontal edges of the strips.

The shading lines of FIGURE 7 illustrate the axis of polarization in the respective strips 16, 17. In FIGURE 7 the upper louvers 10, 17 have been positioned with the rear light-filtering strip 17 rotated 180 on its pivot point 18. Asa result, the axes-of polarization of the two plates are at right angles to one another. In the lower showing of FIGURE 7 the light-filtering strips 10, 17 are disposed so that their angles of polarization are parallel to one another. As a result or the parallel disposition of the angles of polarization, light can pass freely through the filtering strips 10, 17. It will be seen that in the upper showing of FIGURES 6 and 7, where the strips are crossed, there will be a complete absorption of the light.

By means of the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7 certain of the strips may be disposed so that the angles of polarization are crossed, whereas others may be allowed to lie, with their angles of polarization parallel. In this manner, the window construction may be adjusted in accordance with any degree of shading that may be desired, so that any given portion of the window opening canrbe rendered opaque to incident light.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG- URES 8 and 9 the innermost strips of filtering material 19 are supported on tapes 20 in such a manner that .r ota-l tion of the topmost tape support member 21 willv cause: all of the strips 19 to swing about their horizontal axes in the mariner indicated by the dotted lines.

. In this embodiment of the invention, strips of lightpolarizing material having their axes of polarization disposed at 45 with respect to the horizontal edges of the strips are also used It will be apparent that a rotation of the 'rearmost strips 19 will produce the crossed polarizing axes illustrated in FIGURE 7. I

FIGURE 9 shows the manner in which the structure shown in FIGURE 8 can present crossed polarizing axes 4 to effectively absorb all of the light incident upon the structure.

The louvers 10, 17 and 19 may be formed of sheets of glass to which the light-filtering material may be applied by coating, laminating, or the like. Alternately, the louvers may be formed of sheets of plastic having lightfiltering media suspended therein to achieve the desired result. It is within the purview of the present invention to laminate the light filtering material 14 between two sheets of glass 15 and 16, as shown in FIGURE 5, so as to protect it during washing, and from the eifects of exposure to the elements.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there have been provided window structures capable of selectively admitting various amounts of light and air to suit the convenience of the user, and without the need for expensive shades, awnings and ventilators.

Having thus fully described the invention, What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

A multi-louvered light and air controlling window assembly comprising in combination, a window frame, an inner jalousie structure and an outer jalousie structure spaced from each other within the frame, a plurality of pivotally mounted elongated strips of light polarizing material comprising the light transmitting louvers of said jalousies, each of said strips being alternately arranged with its axis of polarization at right angles to that of adjacent strips and at an angle of 45 with respect to the horizontal edges of the strips, and means to swing the strip on the inner and outer jalousie structures whereby light traversing one jalousie light polarizing strip can be selectively directed upon a light polarizing strip in the other jalousie to achieve the desired amount of light extinction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 345,692 Hayes July 20, 1886 2,267,140 Schottenberg Dec. 23, 1941 2,280,358 Tietig Apr. 21, 1942 2,464,954 Werth Mar. 22, 1949 2,543,793 Marks Mar. 6, 1951 2,610,371 Hite Sept. 16, 1952 2,617,329 Dreyer Nov. 11, 1952 2,689,387 Carr Sept. 21, 1954 2,758,345 White Aug. 14, 1956 

